Tag Archives: trade

U.S. factory activity in December plunged to a four-year low as new orders, production and employment declined sharply from November 2018 levels. Even the electronics industry, which struggled to meet component demand for the entirety of last year, abruptly hit the brakes. “Growth appears to have stopped,” a computer and electronics executive told the Institute for…

Mouser Electronics Inc. — on the tail of an announced warehouse expansion — reported that by the end of 2018 it expects to grow by almost 50 percent in Europe, from $1.34 billion to an estimated $1.87 billion, with a customer increase in excess of 18 percent. Mouser executives attribute the growth to targeted customer promotions supported by…

U.S. purchasing and supply executives are entering 2019 with a bit less enthusiasm than 2018, although optimism remains strong for the next calendar year. Sixty-four percent of U.S. manufacturers polled by the Institute for Supply Management expect their revenue will grow by 5.7 percent in 2019, compared with the 5.1 percent increase predicted for 2018.…

U.S. manufacturing activity accelerated in June—but so did anxieties around electronic component shortages and tariffs. The Institution for Supply Management’s leading production index, the PMI, increased by 1.5 percent in June to 60.2. However, electronic component constraints are being felt across multiple manufacturing sectors. “Electronic component supply issues continue to disrupt production,” a transportation industry…

U.S. manufacturing experts say when it comes to China, trade and tariffs, industries such as electronics should keep their eye on the long game. “The [Trump] administration is playing a larger chess game than it is given credit for,” said Tom Derry, CEO of the Institute for Supply Management. “It’s not just about aluminum and…

U.S. trade policies are making headlines as the Trump Administration re-examines international trade agreements and implements tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Cost increases in raw materials, trade compliance or the transportation of goods disproportionally impact small and midsized businesses, according to research by Freightos, an online freight marketplace. Among companies that import infrequently –…

As evidenced by Brexit and the U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, economic nationalism is on the rise. Industries such as electronics have spent decades building and finetuning a vast network of global supply chains. If globalization is facing a backlash — and experts attest that it is — longstanding supply relationships are about to get…

The Trump administration’s position on the free trade agreement (FTA) known as NAFTA is crystal clear: it is considered a “bad deal.” What’s less clear is how any action taken by the administration will impact cross-boarder commerce. The Trump administration has said it will renegotiate or pull out of NAFTA to preserve U.S. jobs. Electronics…

While the mantra of the high-tech industry is constant change, the types of changes our industry has been facing just this month are far outside the norm. The burning business and industry questions are not about volatile market cycles but what happens when ideology meets manufacturing reality along the global supply chain. There are, to…

Purchasing and supply management executives expect they’ll be buying more from their suppliers next year as the U.S. economy continues the recovery that began in 2009. More than two-thirds – 67 percent — of manufacturing respondents to the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) Semiannual Economic Forecast expect their 2017 revenue will exceed 2016’s. The ISM’s…